We'll Be Alright
by Curlybear
Summary: Naruto tries to conceal his fatigue, but Sasuke can see right through him, much to Naruto's annoyance. In the end, he collapses, but for a change, Sasuke is there to help. A much needed conversation ensues. NaruSasu friendship.


_Hello all! I bring you a new one-shot. It is not NaruHina this time, but a friendship fic about Sasuke and Naruto, requested by Preci0uz T0uch. So this is dedicated to you, and all the readers out there. You have all been very supportive in the past. I hope you all will enjoy it, and please review. They make me all warm and fuzzy inside:) I do take requests, and since I am pretty bored at the moment, feel free to give me suggestions. Thanks again! Enjoy._

_By the way, Naruto and Sasuke are around 20 here. _

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Well I'd hope that since we're here anyway **_

_**That we could end up saying **_

_**Things we've always needed to say **_

_**So we could end up staying **_

**- Nickelback - Someday**

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**We'll Be Alright **

The young man stared pensively at the distant stars, covered by countless of clouds. It took a lot out of him just to make them all out. The night blanketed the sky, and it was completely clear. The stars appeared to be so close, that for an instant, it felt like he could reach out and touch them. He was far away from home, but the stars always made him feel at peace, at home.

The sky did not ease his mind tonight though. He had to squint to make them all out, and that gave him a headache. This was not like him. He was not supposed to sink. Not at such a crucial time like this. He cursed, stronger than usual, the irritation welling up over his incompetence.

He straightened his uniform and unleashed a tired sigh. He cursed one more time over his negative attitude, which had arisen from somewhere within him. Damn it. He was a soldier, expected to be resilient and strong. Also, he was Naruto, and he was supposed to be the most positive and defiant moron on this planet. That's what Sasuke would say at least.

But now, his whole body ached. He was beyond repair, or actually, that was an overstatement. He just did not want to show weakness. So he concealed it.

Suddenly, he felt a familiar presence envelope him.

"Speak of the devil." Naruto uttered loudly, with a small smirk adorning his face. A shadow approached him, revealing itself to be the man who had just crossed his thoughts. Sasuke walked up to him casually.

"So, you could sense me?" Sasuke asked, but there was no surprise in his tone. He stopped next to Naruto to examine the view he was staring so distantly at.

"What do you take me for, some sort of amateur?" Naruto questioned, obviously ignoring Sasuke's stupid inquiry. His voice was light though, and Sasuke noticed. Sometimes, Naruto wanted to cut out his eyes. They could practically see anything and that built up a whole new level of frustration.

"You're tired." Sasuke stated blankly. Well, that was out of the blue. Well, not really. Naruto felt a pang of anger swirl inside of him, even though he knew that Sasuke was correct. Naruto released another sigh.

"Shut up." Naruto said, quietly. It was pathetic, actually. He did not even have the will to argue. Sasuke had him where he wanted him, and Naruto despised it. His best friend narrowed his eyes, and Naruto felt like he could see right through him. He tried to ignore his piercing gaze by keeping his eyes locked on the brightest star.

"Naruto-"

"What?"

"You've overexerted yourself. You should rest..." Naruto was surprised over the clear concern in Sasuke's voice. That did not persuade him though. He didn't need fucking rest. Hell, he would be fine.

"I can't. I'm the leader of this team." Naruto stated. He couldn't rest. But Sasuke was not buying it. Naruto was relieved to find that he was at least soft about the whole thing. His partner was not accusing him, just calmly giving advice, although it was annoying. At the moment, everything was annoying. Now the stars were even annoying. Naruto closed his eyes for a moment, to collect himself... It didn't help, but it made him clarified, that this conversation was over, in his opinion.

He turned around swiftly, which was a stupid idea because the world started to spin, and Sasuke's face became blurry. That looked funny. Naruto shook his head, serious again, before setting his mind on walking away.

"Naruto...!"

Naruto tried to ignore him. He kept on going, pushing away the fatigue and the additional pain that came with it. Just to convince himself and maybe Sasuke, he turned around and gave him a big smile.

"I'll be fine. I promise." Naruto said, encouragingly. But it was forced, even his smile was. Sasuke could probably see that too. Naruto turned around before Sasuke could say anything else. He could feel him shake his head, indicating that he was fed up of Naruto's recklessness. The blonde did not care, though.

He could not help but feel Sasuke's gaze on his back, despite everything. That gave him both a sense of safety and annoyance. He was there at least, showing rare concern... But couldn't he just give Naruto a break? He did not want Sasuke to worry about him, to see his weakness. He was fine... Really he was.

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It was just another normal A-rank mission... That's what he kept telling himself. Tsunade had clearly announced: "Kill some bandits that are currently terrorizing the area and the nearby villages." It was simple, and yet Naruto was finding it difficult, weighing him down, making him feel useless... He hated that feeling so much. He brushed everything away, as they located the group. He would not be the one to pull them down.

When they ambushed the bandits, Sasuke had been the strongest one. Naruto felt like he had done so little. He fought hard, but it was not enough. Luckily, no one had gotten hurt.

Well, except for him. Not injured exactly, but even more worn out than before. He felt his body cease to resist against the tiredness, and the loss of chakra strengthened all the pain. Shit, Naruto thought as he tried to distance himself from the team. Especially Sasuke... So they, _he_, would not notice.

Naruto was unsuccessful though. While the others were terminating the situation, Sasuke had found him, which was not surprising. Sasuke walked over to Naruto and gave him a hard look. It appeared to be hard anyway, Naruto could not really tell. Everything was diminishing around him, fading into dark.

"Naruto...? You okay?" Sasuke asked, suspicion clear in his voice.

"I'm fine." Naruto lied.

"You are swaying a little..." Sasuke said, emotionlessly. That irritated Naruto... The way he asked him with absolutely _nothing _in him. The dullness in his eyes was replaced with a fiery determination.

"How can you ask me these things with so little concern?" Naruto asked, angrily. Sasuke did not answer. His eyes were softer, but they were still glaring at Naruto, piercing through him and bending his soul.

Naruto's sapphire eyes narrowed as he decidedly took a step forward. Sasuke did not react to that either. Damn stone face of his.

Then, Naruto's mind went blank, and he did not know what happened exactly. Only that he had somehow managed to stumble. Sasuke had caught him just in time, and Naruto's body tensed. He could not feel much. Naruto just knew that Sasuke had prevented him from falling, and was holding him. They were both on their knees, facing each other. He tried to push him away several times, almost succeeding, but Sasuke tightened his grip, and Naruto lost the battle. He was losing consciousness, and was finally accepting it. Sasuke made him give in. Naruto began to tremble slightly, and he lowered his head. He could not look at Sasuke. He felt a hand on his shoulder.

"You idiot, trying to hide things from me..." Sasuke pointed out, his tone softer than usual. Naruto could feel his dark locks tickle his forehead. Sasuke was searching for his gaze.

"No one tended to notice if I hid it well enough." Naruto argued, weakly.

"Well, I'm here now, dumb ass." Sasuke said, quietly. And the whole damn past came back to Naruto at that instant. How Sasuke had left, the fight they had, how they had managed to bring him back in one piece, and how Sasuke had rapidly evolved into becoming a loyal ninja of Hidden Leaf. It came in flashes, strong and weak. They had been through hell, but succeeded in the end. Each memory brought a slice of pain.Would Sasuke always be here? He had never doubted Sasuke leaving again, but if he did, _if_ he did, Naruto did not know if he could take it. Not again. And being on the brink of unconsciousness did something to you. Made you speak from the heart.

"You're... You're not going anywhere, right?" Naruto whispered, heavily. He knew that affected Sasuke, probably putting him off guard. He would be a complete bastard if he just shook it off coldly like he normally did. Naruto was still surprised though when Sasuke gently pulled away from him so that he could look him in the eyes. Black and blue intertwined with each other.

"No. I'm not." Sasuke answered, clearly. Naruto smiled, satisfied with the answer.

"Good... Because I _will_ kill you if you do anything stupid like that again... Don't..." Naruto said, weakly, but there was a fire in his voice, burning with sincerity.

"I know." Sasuke said, with a small smile.

"Sasuke..." And the darkness finally covered his vision, preventing him from saying anything else. His whole body fell forward again, but Sasuke caught him.

Sasuke remained calm, before placing him gently on the ground and calling for the medical ninja. He distanced himself slightly so that he could give them some space. The man came quickly and inspected Naruto thoroughly. Sasuke watched carefully from afar, crossing his arms. The seriousness in his eyes made them darker than usual. The medic-nin announced that he would be fine, after a long rest. Sasuke smirked. It was amazing how long Naruto could endure. But everyone had their limits. Sasuke sighed again, as he approached Naruto, kneeling down and staring at his peaceful face. What could he say?

His best friend was an emotional, over-confident, persistent idiot, but... He was still Naruto; the man who saved him. He smiled crookedly with appreciation. That was evident, despite how small the smile was. They would stick together, because that's what friends do. It would be mutual this time.

"You'll be alright." Sasuke said.

_'We'll be alright.' _

And they would be.

**_The End _**

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_**_Please review. It's the only reward writers get:) Tell me what you think! Buh-bye now! _

_-Curlybear _


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